There were prohibited flags in the list, including the flag of Artsakh.
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“It is a constitutional, legal and legitimate flag and the Spanish government will defend it whenever needed”, Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria said Friday. The updated policy places the ISIS flag in its own “strictly prohibited” section. The EBU has asked the Globe Arena and AXS to immediately remove the document that includes the flag examples, and to publish the official document, without the examples, instead. “This document was not meant to be published”, it said in a post on its Facebook page.
Eurovision said a draft version of the flag policy was published by mistake on the venue’s website and the ticket agency selling seats for the extravaganza.
The organisers added that they “understand and acknowledge the sensitivities” of the issue and apologised to everyone who felt offended by the list.
The EBU has also banned flags from other disputed territories, like Crimea and Northern Cyprus.
Israel has competed in the yearly song contest 38 times since making its debut in 1978.
The statement was made after Pro TV announced that it wants to broadcast the show, and has sent an open letter to the contest’s organizers to convince them that Romania and its representative Ovidiu Anton should participate this year.
Eurovision 2016 will take place in the Swedish capital of Stockholm with the victor to be announced on May 14.
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The competition has seen some outlandish performers since its inception in 1956, including Russian grannies, Ireland’s Dustin the Turkey and the 2006 winners, Finnish heavy metal outfit Lordi – looking like orcs from “Lord of the Rings”.
